Old Bakery Beer Co. of Alton and The Nature Institute (TNI) of Godfrey created “Nature Brews” and the newly-released collaboration stout, Hairy Mountain Stout, will feature a native prairie plant called Hairy Mountain Mint.

Old Bakery Beer Co. of Alton and The Nature Institute (TNI) of Godfrey created “Nature Brews” and the newly-released collaboration stout, Hairy Mountain Stout, will feature a native prairie plant called

Old Bakery Beer Co. of Alton and The Nature Institute (TNI) of Godfrey created “Nature Brews” and the newly-released collaboration stout, Hairy Mountain Stout, will feature a native prairie plant called Hairy Mountain Mint.

Old Bakery Beer Co. of Alton and The Nature Institute (TNI) of Godfrey created “Nature Brews” and the newly-released collaboration stout, Hairy Mountain Stout, will feature a native prairie plant called

GODFREY — Two hometown establishments teamed up to provide craft beer and wildlife enthusiasts with the tastes of nature.

Old Bakery Beer Co. of Alton and The Nature Institute (TNI) of Godfrey created “Nature Brews” and the newly-released collaboration stout will feature a native prairie plant: Hairy Mountain Mint.

The project is meant to bring native plants and local biodiversity to the table. By highlighting an ingredient from local property, TNI hopes to educate the public on that plant, how it can be used and why it is important to our environment.

Hairy Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum pilosum, can be identified by the mint family’s iconic squared stem. This plant is usually found in high quality prairies, meadows and woodland edges. Its nectar-rich flowers attract many insects including honey bees and butterflies; however, it isn’t a valued food source for other animals, such as deer. Because of this, hairy mountain mint is often planted as a natural repellent for backyard gardens.

Hairy Mountain Stout is a 6.3% ABV stout featuring Hairy Mountain Mint foraged from Heartland Prairie, which adds minty & woody aroma & flavor to the beer. The stout also features Chocolate Mint from EarthDance Farms, which helps to enhance the mint flavor and accentuate the chocolate notes from the dark malts also used in the beer.

The limited release will be sold only at the brewery and will be available in 4-packs of cans and on draft. A portion of the proceeds from all Hairy Mountain Stout can sales will be donated to The Nature Institute’s mission of preservation, restoration, and education. The Old Bakery Beer Company is located at 400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton, IL 62002.

To commemorate this release, Old Bakery Beer Co. will be hosting a fundraising dinner outside at TNI. “Nature Brews Winner Dinner” will be held on Friday, September 28 at 6 p.m. This event will feature a three-course dinner inspired by hairy mountain mint and each ticket will have a complementary pint of Nature Brews. Tickets are $40 per person in advance and can be purchased at TheNatureInstitute.org.

The Nature Institute is a conservation and environmental organization with a mission of raising awareness of the natural world through preservation, restoration and education. TNI owns over 450 acres of protected land, much of which have public hiking trails.